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 Rivercrest Farm raises a superior breed in a healthy, natural and sustainable environment without the need to introduce additional hormones or antibiotics for the production and health of the animal. The result is a superior tasting healthy product that is both source and birth date verified. That's our guarantee at Rivercrest Farm. Our beef is available for purchase in side (½ of a steer) and quarter (½ of a side or ¼ of a steer) quantities at $4.15/finished pound for sides and $4.35/finished pound for quarters. For those customers that don't have sufficient freezer space to store a side or quarter we also offer small quantity sample packs. These packs weigh approximately 30lbs. and include a variety of steaks, roasts and hamburger. Cost for a Sample Pack is $150. Cuts are trimmed and finished just like you'd find at your local butcher or grocery. All cuts and hamburger are vacuum packed in durable plastic, individually labeled and flash frozen. Like most frozen food products it is best to consume our beef within 3 to 6 months of purchase but beef packaged in this manor will last in your freezer for approximately 1 year without significant freezer burn or drying. (Always observe safe handling practices when working with any raw meat product.) Aging Dry Aging of our beef is one of the most important phases of producing a superior product. All of our beef is aged for 14 to21 days, "the old fashioned way," which allows nature to work its course to maximize flavor and tenderness. The ever-increasing demand for beef in the U.S. and world markets has caused the meat industry to cut corners and quality and speed up production. Today's industry standard includes a process called wet aging in which beef is cut and wrapped in vacuum bags with a preservative called Sodium Nitrite within 2-5 days of slaughter. This causes the beef to develop a strong flavor and decreases the tenderness of the product. Sodium Nitrite has also been known to cause severe allergic reactions. Please visit the website below to learn more about the dangers of nitrites. http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm The finished product: What you can expect.  Generally it takes about one cubic foot of freezer space for every 35 to 40 pounds of cut and wrapped meat. A 1200/1300 pound steer will generally yield about 360 to 400 pounds of cut meat and hamburger. A side of beef is half that amount, usually 180 to 200 pounds.
Of course each steer is unique in terms of weight and finished cut yield. The actual product that you receive will vary slightly depending on the thickness of the cut and steak size, roast size, and hamburger/roast selections that you choose. However with Rivercrest Beef you only pay for the actual weight of the product delivered to you. The chart below is an approximation of the cuts and weights you should expect to receive.
The Health Benefits of Naturally Raised Beef But besides knowing where your beef has been raised and that the environment for production is a humane, safe and healthy one, recent research suggests that beef raised in this manner (and for that matter other "naturally raised" products) is better for you. Marian Burros wrote an article in the August 30, 2006 edition of the New York Times ("all the news that's fit to print") extolling the taste and quality of grass-fed beef and sighted a number of the health benefits as well. While our beef is not raised exclusively on a diet of grass pasture, (we finish our beef on a natural mix of soy bean hulls, corn gluten and corn screenings along with hay and grass) we believe the absence of added growth hormones and background antibiotics in our production practices results in a more healthy and better tasting product. For additional information on the health benefits of eating naturally raised and grass fed beef please visit these additional websites:
After the aging process our beef is cut, vacuum packed in plastic wrap and flash frozen ready for pick-up or delivery to your home. Our beef will last in your freezer for approximately 1 year without significant freezer burn or drying.
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